The One to Count On...

An explosive eight-run inning and an impressive debut for pitcher Schyler Kane helped the Pella High baseball team come from behind to rout Nevada 11-2 in Tuesday night’s season opener.

Trailing 2-0 entering the bottom of the inning, the six-hit, eight-run fourth frame that was highlighted by a Jacob Gleason home run certainly gave the win to the Little Dutch, but it was the performance on the mound by Kane that set the tone, as he recovered from a few bumpy moments to finish the night with a two-hit, six-strikeout performance in six innings of work. Jacob DeWaard earned the save.

At the plate, Ryan Shull led Pella with a 3-for-5 performance with 2 RBI and 2 runs, while Trevor Wood and Josh Hileman each added a pair of hits for the Little Dutch. First-year head coach Al Vasher said he liked what he saw from his team in their debut in front of the home fans.

“We kind of got off to a slow start, but the pitching was there, the defense was there and we knew the hitting would come around. It just took a few innings to see their pitcher,” said Vasher. “They had a freshman kid throwing that really pitched well, and it just took us a bit to get adjusted, but once we did we really hit the ball hard.”

Pella opens the season with a 1-0 mark and will play at home again on Thursday, when they host Bondurant-Farrar.